Better Luck Next Time
by Homohoney
Summary: It starts during Hunter's Christmas break his senior year of college. He comes home with no girlfriend or expectation of finding one on Liberty Ave. Will a girl with an unknown past and gay twin do the trick? Chapter 2 is up! REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Queer As Folk or any of its characters. However, I do own Amy and Andy Parker. Enjoy!

"Welcome home champ!" Ben exclaimed pulling his son into a tight hug.

"Dad! It's only been two weeks since you saw me at Thanksgiving," Hunter groaned but allowed himself to be led into the house.

"Two weeks? It's felt like longer than that. How are you? How was the drive?"

"It was pretty painless."

"And exams?"

"Good, I think. I don't get grades back until Monday but I'm all set to graduate in May, as long as I pass next semester's class that is."

"As if you've ever had a problem doing _that_!"

"So when's-"

"Michael will be home any minute. He went to go pick up something at the grocery store. Why don't you go put your stuff up in your room and then come down and tell me all about your classes."

Hunter rolled his eyes but hoisted his duffle bag back onto his shoulder and walked up the stairs. Ben couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he watched Hunter's retreating back. It didn't seem like it had been that long ago, when Hunter had just been some hustler outside of their window, but so much had happened. Though he'd gotten off to a slow start, Hunter managed to graduate High School before he turned 19. He turned his sorrows into a kickass college entrance essay and was currently a senior at Temple where he was majoring in Social Work. He was getting excellent grades and some days, he confided in Ben, he forgot that he'd ever had the life he'd led.

"Is he here?" Michael asked, coming through the door with two bulging grocery bags. Ben nodded. "How does he look? Does he look like he's been eating enough? Does he look tired? I'll bet he's tired."

"Calm down!" Ben laughed, taking the grocer bags. "He does look tired but he's just finished his exams."

"Do you think he'll still want to go out tonight with everyone?"

"I'm willing to bet he'll be able to find the energy somehow."

"Can you believe this is the last Christmas he'll be coming home from school? It could be the last Christmas he's coming home at all. He'll probably have his own house next year."

"We don't know that and this will always be his home," Ben reassured his distraught husband, kissing him on the cheek. "When's your mom coming?"

"She should be here soon. So should everyone else."

Hunter descended the stairs, unbeknownst to the two. "Hey, don't I get a hello?" he asked, grinning. Michael pulled him into a bear hug.

"Hi, I'm glad to have you home."

"What's for dinner?"

"Tofu stir-fry," Ben answered. Hunter groaned. "Hey, I know for a fact you have been living off of ramen noodles and canned tuna for the past three months so forgive me if I try to give you something _healthful_ to eat."

"I have to eat it everyday for the rest of my life," Michael whispered. Ben gave him a mock glare.

"Don't worry. Your grandmother is bringing dessert and I'm sure it won't have any tofu in it," Ben chuckled. "Do you want to help me with dinner?"

"Sure," Hunter answered. The three gathered in the kitchen. Of course, neither Michael nor Hunter actually helped with dinner but they fell back into their usual affable conversation.

"So you're interning next semester right?" Michael asked, handing Hunter a beer before pouring Ben and himself glasses of wine.

"Yeah. Hopefully they'll hire me after graduation. The woman I talked to was impressed about my background, said I'd be a real help with the male adolescent population."

"That's great! We're so proud of you Hunter. I hope you know that," Bun gushed, tossing cubes of tofu into a hissing wok.

"Yeah I know, thanks." Michael ruffled his son's hair affectionately. He really had turned out far better than either Ben or he could have hoped. He and Hunter set the table and had just placed the last plate when the doorbell rang. They could hear a low rumble of voices behind the door. "I'll get it!" Hunter exclaimed, rushing to the door. He opened it and was immediately pulled into the tight embrace of his grandmother.

"Fuck! You've grown!" she said, holding him at arms length.

"That's impossible. It's only been two weeks since Thanksgiving."

"Don't contradict your grandmother! If I say you've grown, you've fuckin' grown!." She hurried into the house, tossing her coat on the couch before crossing the room to her son.

"It's nice to see you again Hunter," Horvath greeted with a handshake.

"You too."

Emmett came in next, pinching Hunter's cheek. He was closely followed by Ted and Blake who greeted the twenty-something warmly. "Where are Brian and Justin?"

"Well, Brian spent the night in New York last night. I don't think they were going to leave until the afternoon," Ted answered. As if on cue, the phone rang. Michael answered it and after a short conversation that consisted only of "uh-huhs and ohs" on Michael's end, he hung up.

"They got off to a late start and are still two hours away but they said they'll meet us later."

The group gathered around the table and shared a very pleasant meal. Hunter and Blake discussed Hunter shadowing him at the rehab clinic and Emmett regaled the group with the wild antics of the groom's mother at his latest wedding. They enjoyed the chocolate cream pie that Debbie had brought and by the time the dishwasher was loaded, it was well past ten. They'd agreed to meet Brian and Justin at Woody's. Debbie and Horvath begged off, saying they had an early morning (They looked like they were going to have a long night.) so the six-some headed off, devoid of any female influence.

"Make sure to wear a coat," Ben told Hunter without thinking before they left the house. Hunter rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that you're almost an adult!"  
"I am an adult, more of an adult than you fuckers are!" Hunter joked.

"Who are you calling a fucker?" Michael asked, catching him in a headlock which he easily pulled out of, brushing his hair down. He grabbed a coat out of the closet before he headed out the door though. Emmett fell into stride beside him.

"So, any girlfriends?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows. Hunter blushed and pulled his coat more tightly around himself.

"No, boyfriend?"

"Nope. Maybe we'll get lucky tonight! As my Aunt Lula said-"

"Yeah, Woody's, that's a great place to meet women," Hunter cut in. He was sometimes struck by the strangeness of his family situation. He was a straight guy surrounded almost entirely by gay men. He wasn't complaining but it did make finding a girlfriend in Pittsburgh somewhat difficult.

"Touché!" Emmet conceded. They got to the bar and entered, immediately catching sight of Brian and Justin.

"Ah, the prodigal son returns!" Brian greeted, taking a swig of beer. Justin got up and gave Hunter a hug.

"It's karaoke night," Brian told the group once they were all sat around the table with drinks in hand. "It's too bad we can't just retire to Babylon."

"And whose fault is that?" Michael shot back, giving his best friend a gentle nudge.

"Well, I traded in my house of sin for Justin."

"So sweet!" Michael gushed.

They endured a long sequence of tributes to the great ladies of soul punctuated by bad renditions of "YMCA", "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". After the third time hearing "It's Raining Men" Hunter was wondering if he would ever see a heterosexual woman again. As if on cue, a man (who was drunk off his face) ran into their table, upsetting Hunter's untouched beer.

"What the fuck!" Brian exclaimed, jumping up lest his $600 jeans get soiled.

"I'm sorry about him. He's going home now," a woman apologized, taking the man firmly by the elbows. She was pretty in an unassuming way. She had long, dark hair and a curvy, strong build. Her eyes were dark as well and Hunter felt his heart flutter. She had a slight southern accent. Hearing her speak and seeing the way she wavered ever so slightly, she had obviously had a couple of drinks herself. The man she was holding up looked vaguely similar, the same eye shape, the same color of hair, but he was taller and lankier.

"I don't wanna go home," the man whined.

"Do you want us to all you a cab . . ." Ben asked, looking at her expectantly.

"Amy, Amy Parker and this is my brother Andy."

"Right, Amy, do you want us to call you a cab?" Ben asked

"Oh no, we'll be fine. Our apartment is just a couple of blocks away," Amy replied. "Thanks though. It's nice to know that some of you Yankees know how to show a little hospitality."

"Where are you from?" Hunter asked quickly, immediately regretting opening his mouth.

"We're from Virginia, moved up here about a month ago."

"And what are you doing frequenting such a dubious establishment? You don't strike me as a lesbian," Brian asked.

"No but Andy's gay and where else are we going to go?"

"Well, hey, we were wanting to leave anyway. Why don't we walk you home," Michael cut in, casting a knowing glance at his son.

"O-okay," Amy said, tightening her grip on Andy who was looking hungrily at a boy who'd just walked in. "Andy, seriously, how did you get so drunks so quickly," she mumbled.

"Why don't you go home with the nice men Ames. I think I'm gonna to have a little snack," Andy slurred.

"No, you're coming home with me," she said firmly. Andy rolled his eyes.

"My ass does not say thank you."

"So shall we go?" Hunter asked, standing up and taking a final swig of his beer.

"Sure," Amy stated uncertainly.

"Great, let's go. We'll see you all tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Brian asked, grabbing his coat.

"We're all going to my mom's. Lindsey and Mel are coming. I told you like three weeks ago," Michael said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh I remembered but I figured we'd be heading to yours for the after party."

"We'll see you tomorrow," Ben laughed, handing Michael his coat. They all exchanged hugs and "goodbyes" and "see you laters" before Ben, Hunter, Michael, Amy and Andy spilled out onto the sidewalk.

"You know this wasn't necessary," Amy said, blushing. "I could have gotten Andy home by my lonesome-not that I'm not appre-appresh-grateful."

"Oh, it's no problem," Hunter hastened. "Liberty Avenue can be a bit dicey."

"I'm such a bone head but I think I've forgotten your names," Amy said, hoping to change the subject.

"Oh, I don't think we told you!" Ben exclaimed. "I'm Ben Bruckner. This is my husband Michael Novotny and our son Hunter."

"Son? You don't look old enough to have such an old son."

"Adopted," Michael explained.

"Oh," Amy replied.

"So you've been in Pittsburgh a month?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, one glorious month," Andy crowed. "Wait a second," he said, clutching his stomach. "Plees 'scuse me." He proceeded to the curb, fell to his knees and expelled the contents of his evening.

"Andy!" Amy exclaimed.

"Is he okay?" Ben asked.

"He'll be fine. We've had a long week and I guess he hit the bottle a little too hard tonight. Come on hon. Let's get home." She helped him to his feet but his legs were shaking so badly that she swerved under his weight, right into Hunter. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's really no problem," Hunter blushed.

"Here, we'll get him," Ben said, taking Andy's other arm. Michael came up behind and took the weight off Amy. "Just walk ahead and we'll follow you."

"Thanks," Amy replied and walked ahead of the threesome, closely followed by Hunter. "I'm sorry you didn't meet Andy on a better day. He's usually a lot more up standing than he seems now." Andy groaned in response. Ben chuckled.

"We've all been there. He's just lucky that he has a sister willing to take care of him."

"Yeah, well, if we don't take care of each other, who will?"

Michael refrained from saying "your parents".

"So who's older?" Hunter asked, his hands shoved self-consciously into his pockets.

"Andy, by about a minute," Amy replied.

"You're twins?"

"Yeah . . . fraternal." They walked in silence for a few minutes before Amy came to a halt. "So this is us."

"We'll take him up the stairs if you want us to," Michael put in. Andy seemed to be asleep.

"No, it's fine. Y'all have done enough for us tonight! Thank you so much it's been a pleasure talking with you and I'm sure Andy would said thank you if he wasn't so shit-faced."

"It was no problem, really. It was a pleasure meeting both of, well one and a half of you too," Ben smiled. Amy slid under one of Andy's arms, taking her brother from Ben and Michael who retreated, leaving Hunter alone.

"So, would it be-er, could I call you sometime? Or, well you could call me. I could-"

"You don't want to get mixed up with me. That's for damn sure. Tell your parents thanks again." There was not a tremble or note of hesitation in her voice. She turned, hoisting Andy up as she did before walking into the building and up the stairs. Hunter was left to wonder how he could have repelled her so quickly, with so few words. He joined Ben and Michael and they began their trek home. Better luck next time.

A/N: REVIEW


	2. Strike Two

Disclaimer: I own only Amy and Andy and their back story. The rest of everything belongs to the awesome creators of Queer as Folk! Enjoy.

"_I will not pretend.  
I will not put on a smile.  
I will not say I'm all right for you,  
When all I wanted was to be good,  
To do everything in truth."_

_-Martha Wainwright, "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole"_

It was three days before Christmas. Hunter was sitting with his parents, Blake (with whom he had just spent the first half of the day) and Ted at the Liberty Diner. "So do you miss this place, living in Philadelphia?" Ted asked over a large plate of fries. Before Hunter could answer, Debbie came up the table. Her wig was askew and she had a bead of sweat slipping down her face.

"Christ! It's been busy all fuckin' day!"  
"Maybe you should sit down," Michael said, exasperated.

"Well what a brilliant suggestion. The thought didn't even enter my head!" Debbie replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "We had two people quit this week. I've had that help wanted sign in the window for three fucking days and not a fucking nibble."

"I could pull a couple of shifts," Hunter suggested. "I don't have anything better to do."

"Oh no sweetheart. We'll get by. It just means putting in some long days," Debbie smiled, stroking Hunter's now short hair. "I'm not a stranger to hard work, that's for God Damn sure!" She bustled away leaving Michael to roll his eyes and refocus his attention on his pumpkin pie.

The bell above the door rung and Hunter looked up. He was met with the sight of a decidedly more bundled up Amy Parker. She walked up to the counter and cleared her throat. Debbie, who was gathering up an order turned around. "May I help you?" she asked, walking off toward a table.

"Yes I, um, I saw the help wanted poster in the window and-"

"When can you start?" Debbie interrupted.

"Oh, well, whenever you need me to. Did you want my resume or-"

"Can you carry a tray?" Debbie asked pointedly, setting down three pink plate specials.

"Yes."

"Do have a problem with gay people?"

"No, not at all! My twin is gay."

"Well hallelujah! You're hired. Be here at five tomorrow morning."

"O-okay," Amy stammered. "Thank you so much."

"No, thank you! What's your name again?"

"Oh, it's Amy, well my given name is Amelia Parker but everyone calls me Amy."

"Well I was born Deborah Novotny but everyone calls me Debbie, at least to my face."

"Novotny?" Amy asked. Hunter, who was watching covertly, saw recognition flicker across her face.

"Yeah, you know another Novotny?"

"I think so. These two men and their son helped me and my brother get home last week. I think one of them was named Novotny-Martin, no Mitchell, or-"

"Michael?" Debbie exclaimed, smiling widely.

"Yeah! Michael and Ben and their son Hunter," Amy replied, remembering.

"Well that's a coincidence. Michael's my son. He's right over here," Debbie led a somewhat reluctant Amy over to Hunter's table. "Look who just joined the staff!"  
"Hi!" Ben greeted, standing up to shake Amy's hand. "How's your brother?"

"Andy's fine. He got over his hangover after a lazy Sunday." Amy blushed deeply, avoiding Hunter's gaze.

"Good, so you're working at the Liberty Diner? Any hope of getting my mom some more help?" Michael asked.

"What? Oh, you mean Andy?" Amy asked. Michael nodded. "He's starting school after Christmas and he's hopelessly clumsy."

"School?" Hunter asked. "Where's he going?"

"University of Pittsburgh."

"Oh, that's where I teach! What's he going to study?" Ben asked.

"Vocal performance."

"Really?" Ted asked, clearly excited. "Please don't tell me he's doing musical theater."

"No, opera. He's a tenor," Amy answered simply.

"That's fantastic! I can't believe he's good looking and an opera singer." Blake nudged his boyfriend and Ted looked sufficiently penitent.

"That doesn't come cheap," Debbie observed, appraising her newest trainee. "You know a job here won't cover any type of tuition if you're planning on eating and having a roof over your heads too."

"Oh, I know! He's on scholarship. That's why we're in Pittsburgh," Amy replied. She looked at her watch and, in mock surprise, said "Oh no! I really need to be going. Andy and I are supposed to meet someone. It was a pleasure seeing y'all again." She pulled on her coat and hurried out the door.

"What the hell was that about?" Debbie exclaimed after she was out of ear shot.

"I don't know. What did you say to her Hunter, that night after we dropped them off?" Ben asked, turning to his son who was blushing profusely.

"I-I asked her for her number," he blurted out.

"So what is it? Do you have in memorized?" Michael asked, grinning.

"She didn't give it to me. She said that I didn't want anything to do with her."

"Oh, that's strange."

"What's strange is that someone wouldn't want to go out with my grandson! Maybe I should try to find someone else."

"No!" Hunter exclaimed. "No, she doesn't have to go out with me and you need the help.

"It's strange though, them showing up mid-year like this. They're definitely older than 18," Ben observed. "It's weird that their parents haven't helped them at all."

"I'll just have to get the information out of her tomorrow. It'll be nice to have another woman around for a change, well another woman who's interested in dick."

"Very nice Ma!" Michael groaned.

"Come on Michael! That's always something we've had in common!"

"And thank god for that!" Ben held up his glass to his mother-in-law.

Later that night, they were all walking to Debbie's where they were going to have dinner with the whole crowd. As they were walking past the music store, they caught sight of Andy Parker. "Andy hi!" Ben waved. The man looked up. He was even more attractive than he had seemed that night at Woody's. He furrowed his brow in concentration.

"I'm sorry but I can't quite place you," he admitted, shoving a score into his bag.

"Sorry, you were a bit indisposed. We helped you home last week from Woody's. You were with your sister."

"Oh Lord! Don't judge me by that night," he cried, slapping his gloved hand to his forehead. "I was a horrible mess that night. I'm surprised Amy didn't just leave me there."

"I think that's what you wanted," Michael needled. Amy had been right. He was a lot more affable when not intoxicated.

"Ahhh, I owe her a thousand Haribo Peaches, and you all too I guess."

"Haribo Peaches?" Hunter asked.

"Oh, yes, Amy's favorite candy. We used to pay each other in candy and the terminology kind of stuck. Can I get your names again?"

"I'm Ted and this is Blake," Ted greeted, shaking the youth's hand. "Amy told us that you're starting at Pittsburg U in vocal performance?"

"Yes I am. When did you see Amy?"

"At the Liberty Diner. She got a job there. What are you performing this season?" Ted asked.

"Andrea Chenier, I've just picked up the score."

"And you'll be playing?"

"Andrea. I'm lucky. It's always been my favorite opera." He turned to Ben, Michael and Hunter expectantly.

"Oh, I'm Ben Bruckner and this is my husband Michael Novotny and our son Hunter."

"It's a pleasure, really. Thank you so much for your help the other night. I'll try not to abuse it again."

"It was no problem!" Hunter exclaimed a bit too earnestly. Andy raised his eyebrows. "I mean, anything to help."

"Right, well I'm supposed to be back home so that Amy and I can grab some dinner."

"You should come with us," Hunter added quickly.

"Pardon?" Andy asked.

"We're going over to my grandmother's for dinner, all of us. You both should come. Debbie, my grandmother, she's your sister's new supervisor."

"I don't know. I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"You wouldn't be a burden! My mother always makes way too much food and I'm sure Ted's dying to talk your ear off about opera. Here, I'll just write down her address and you can meet us there."

"Alright, thanks," Andy said as he took the scrap of paper on which Michael had scribbled his mother's address. "I'll ask Amy when I get back."

"See you later," Michael put in.

"Thank you," Andy replied and walked off in the direction of his and Amy's apartment.

"What was _that_?" Ben asked Hunter, his eyebrows raised.

"Nothing, it's just, well, they're new to the area and it's almost Christmas."

"Someone's got a big crush!" Michael grinned, poking his son in the stomach.

"I don't! I mean, she's pretty but I don't even know her. Asking for her number was just out of desperation. You have to try every straight woman who wanders across your path on Liberty Ave. It's the rule!"

"The rule? Okay champ, let's hurry up and get to Debbie's before your beloved arrives," Ben said, rolling his eyes. Hunter groaned. He wasn't going to hear the end of this for a long time.

They arrived at Debbie's and were ushered into the living room. Brian and Justin were already there along with Melanie, Lindsay, Gus and Jenny. "What the Hell took you all so long?" Brian asked. Gus was sitting on his lap, despite the fact that he was considerably larger than he had been last Christmas.

Michael, who had already picked up his daughter said: "Well, we met Andy Parker, you know that drunk twink we saw at Woody's last week. Hunter just _had _to ask him and his sister to come to dinner."

"Really?" Justin asked, looking over to Hunter who had buried is face in his hands. "Does someone have a wittle crush?"

"Ugh! Shut the fuck up!" Hunter groaned. Justin laughed.

"It's about time!" Melanie observed. "You haven't dated anyone since High School. What's she like?"

"I don't know her very well and she's _not _my girlfriend! She wouldn't even give me her number!"

"Rejected? You?" Brian said, cocking his head to one side.

"I'm going to go see if Debbie needs any help," Hunter stated before marching toward the kitchen.

"That's so cute!" Lindsay cooed. "What's she like? How did they meet?"

"It was last week at Woody's. This guy ran into our table, completely wasted. His sister, Amy, that's the girl Hunter likes, was trying to get him home. We offered to help and me, Ben and Hunter walked them home. Apparently he asked for her number and he was rejected."

"Why would she reject Hunter!"

"You're asking the wrong person."

"So you ran into her brother?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, on the way here. Amy's also starting work at the Diner on Monday. He's starting at U Pitt next semester in vocal performance. They just moved here from Virginia?"

"And Hunter just asked if they wanted to come to dinner out of the blue?" Lindsay asked.

"I think he's getting desperate," Ben laughed.

"Straight puppy love can be so cute," Emmett sighed. "It is nice to have a little company in the table for one camp though."

Before anyone could reassure Emmett that love was just around the corner, the doorbell rang. Debbie came out of the kitchen and walked briskly to the door before anyone even got out of his or her seats. She flung the door open. "Hi!" she greeted, pulling Amy into the house.

"Hello, I hope it's okay that we're here," Amy said nervously. She had changed from the jeans and t-shirt she'd been wearing earlier at the Diner into a knee-length brown wool skirt that hugged her ample curves and a turquoise turtleneck. Her hair, which had been covered by a wool hat was now pulled smartly up into a ponytail, showcasing large pearl earrings. Andy stepped into the house. He too had changed though he seemed to stick out less from the casually dressed crowd in dark jeans and a green sweater.

"Of course it's alright! The more the merrier," Debbie exclaimed.

"It was so nice of you to invite us. We haven't had a good home cooked meal in a while. Usually it's a sandwich and some ramen noodles," Andy grinned.

"Oh, well it's a pleasure to have both of you. You must be Andy?"

"Yes, Andy Parker and you're Debbie Novotny?"

"The one and only! Here, let's make some introductions."

"That's Melanie and her wife Lindsay. Their two kids are Gus and Jenny, she's my granddaughter." Melanie, Lindsay, Gus and Jenny waved. "I don't know if you remember meeting him but that's Emmett, then Ted, Blake, Brian and Justin and you know Michael and Ben. My husband Carl will be here soon. I just need to find Hunter."

Hunter was chopping onions in the kitchen without any intention of emerging. It had been such a stupid idea to invite them. Amy had made it very clear that she did not want to get involved with him. There was just something about her, something that appealed to him in a way that he couldn't quite describe. She was pretty, very pretty but there was something else . . . He was concentrating so much on what was going on in his own mind that he didn't even notice when Andy walked into the kitchen. The man leaned against the counter. "So you like my sister don't you," he demanded.

"What?" Hunter jumped, nearly stabbing himself with the knife.

"You like Amy don't you?"

"Kind of . . ." Hunter was blushing so much he was surprised he wasn't emitting heat waves.

"You're fighting a losing battle there champ."

"Is she dating someone or something?"

"No, well, you could say that."

"What do you mean?" In Hunter's mind there wasn't a whole lot of room for ambiguity in a question like that.

"I'll just say that there are things that you don't know about Amy. She's not in a place where she's willing to open up to romantic advances."

"You don't need to be so fucking cloaks and daggers you know," Hunter said irritably.

"Look, I think she needs a boyfriend. If I was the puppet master, she'd be on a date with you right now but I'm not the puppet master. She's a very hard nut to crack. What I will say is that you have my blessing to continue trying to crack that nut. It would be good for her and it would be your gain to have her in your life."

"Thanks," Hunter said uncertainly.

"Don't mention it. Thank you for inviting us by the way. We don't really know anybody in this town except for a friend of a friend of a friend who's sharing his apartment until we get on our feet. You've got a very . . . eclectic family."

"You don't know the half of it! How about your family? What are they like?" Andy's face darkened.

"We don't have any family anymore. Oh, I was supposed to come in here and get you and the wine. Your dad said you needed to stop brooding."

"The wine's over there," Hunter said, rolling his eyes and pointing to the very expensive bottle that he was sure came from Brian.

"Thanks. Come on."

"The onions aren't done."

"Yeah, I know but you should come on, get the awkwardness with Amy over with."

Hunter grumbled but followed Andy into the living room. Amy was standing in the corner, listening to Debbie go on about something. From the look on Amy's face, it wasn't something she particularly wanted to discuss.

"Here's the wine," Andy announced, setting the bottle down on the table.

"Excellent, who wants a glass?" Brian asked, getting up and pouring liberal glasses. Hunter grabbed the first one and quickly drank half of it.

"Just think about it," he heard Debbie finish before leaving Amy in the corner, a glum look on her face. Hunter took a deep breath and drank another large gulp of wine.

"H-hi," he stammered, shoving his spare hand into his pocket as he walked up to her.

"Hi," she replied curtly, avoiding his gaze.

"Look, I'm sorry about her. She can be a bit of a . . . handful sometimes. I-"

"Why did you tell her I rejected you?" she interrupted. She looked more hurt than anything else and Hunter had the sudden impulse to pull her into his arms. He resisted this impulse.

"I, um . . . "

"She thinks that I think I'm too good for you! Why did you ask us here? Is it because you want me to say yes, because that's not going to happen?"

"No, I, well, I wouldn't mind if you, um, said yes but-"

"You can't just force me to go out with you, you know. I'm a big girl."

"I know that. It was just an impulse. I mean, you guys are new in town and it's almost Christmas and . . . why won't you go out with me? I'm really not that bad you know."

"Did you ever stop to think that it's not about you? I'm doing you a big favor okay. I only came because Andy said it was this or go trolling for tricks, something he shouldn't be doing right now."

"Well did you ever stop to think that maybe I can handle whatever skeletons you're hiding in your closet? I haven't always been with Ben and Michael. I've got my own _past_. I'm just asking you for your number, not your hand in marriage." Hunter was quickly losing his temper.

"Oh yeah? Well how about this, I killed my fiancé. Have you ever done that? No, I didn't think so." She looked so close to tears that, for the second time that evening, Hunter wanted to hug her, despite his shock. She didn't give him a chance though. She marched to the door and grabbed her coat. She was half way out the door before calling over her shoulder: "Come on Andy, let's go."

"I'm so sorry folks. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and I hope to do it again sometime!" Andy announced, waving at them and then following his sister into the cold, December evening.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Now REVIEW!!!!!!!!


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